Ezra stayed frozen.
He took a step back, not even realizing he had moved until the cold air brushed against his skin a little differently.
His body felt heavier, like something had settled into his bones all at once, something he couldn't shake off no matter how much he tried to steady himself.
He has never thought about it.
Not like this.
Not about the fact that Lior's father was part of the Cultists, no, because he knew…he knew Kaelis wouldn't be part of the Cultists.
Kaelis was an asshole.
But that's it.
That was the line Ezra had drawn in his head, the one thing he never questioned, the one thing he held onto because it made everything else easier to deal with.
But now—
Now something else was being forced into that space.
The one thing Ezra didn't think about, the one thing he avoided, buried, refused to touch because of how much he wanted to forget.
That his heat was suddenly forced out.
He suddenly went into heat on the night of the ball.
